


The Fishercat Princess

by Cheshire_Hearts



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/F, Femme jazz, Sort Of, The Princess and the Frog AU, femme prowl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:47:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28017969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheshire_Hearts/pseuds/Cheshire_Hearts
Summary: Prowl never believed too much in fanciful sparkling tales, even the ones based on real events. She's starting to rethink her position of them though after nearly dying and coming face to face with one of Polyhex's river monsters.
Relationships: Jazz/Prowl
Comments: 5
Kudos: 41
Collections: HOMEMADE: A Transformers AU Zine





	The Fishercat Princess

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so glad I can finally post this here! This was my contribution to the HOMEMADE Zine and it was so much fun to work on. I hope you all enjoy it and check out the other contributors work too :D

Crystal forests faded through the windows, giving way to a barren and craggy coastline. Prowl turned away from the viewport, focusing back on the datapad in her lap. She frowned at the title again;  _ Polyhexian Lore and Tales _ . It was intended for younglings, but the rundown book stand outside the station hadn’t had much else to purchase and it was the only book about Polyhex. 

With a sigh, she turned the pad on and flicked to the first story. She’d heard of it before.  _ The Fishercat Princess  _ was an old tale, one that Polyhex used to explain why their monarchy no longer controlled the city-state. It was fanciful and only fiction. The last daughter of the Royal House had vanished and while her House still existed, its power had waned and a new government had risen.

Prowl skipped the story, finding a tale she was unfamiliar with. The train ride wouldn’t take too long, but reading was better than staring out the window and wondering if she’d made the right decision or not.

~~~

_ The last princess of Polyhex was said to captivate everyone with her beauty and won their sparks with her kindness. She had a carefree nature and spent all her free time swimming in Polyhex’s rivers. The king had warned her of the dangerous creatures that lurked in the wilder parts of the river system, but even they seemed enthralled by the princess and never bothered her. _

_ There was one afternoon, however, that she discovered a ruined hut. The princess stumbled upon an older femme, injured and starving within. The princess offered the femme her servo and promised to get the other anything she needed. The old femme demanded the princess take her to the river’s edge and into the sunlight. _

_ The princess agreed readily, helping the femme out of the hut and down toward the river.  _

~~~

The clack of keys being hit with too much force behind her droned on endlessly. Prowl kept telling herself this was what she’d wanted when she left Praxus. A normal life. Nothing was more normal than endless piles of data work. She even enjoyed it most days. 

The black and white femme glared at her computer screen as the aid behind her kept slamming his keys. He clearly hadn’t learned that typing louder didn’t mean he typed faster. She was saved further stress by a ping on her internal chronometer letting her know her shift was officially over. Prowl packed quickly and avoided optic contact with her coworkers, slipping out of the office complex quietly. 

It was raining, again. Prowl was sure rain was all Polyhex was capable of at this point. A vorn had passed since Prowl’s move and she could count the number of clear cycles on her servos. At least it wasn’t as acidic as Praxus’ rains had been, which was a nice change of pace. Still, she didn’t enjoy the rain. 

She waited until one of the transformation lanes opened up before stepping out and transforming. She wasted no time pulling out onto the road and into traffic. She flipped through stations, quickly changing the one still reporting Praxus’ search for their missing princess and settling on one about the traffic. The station warned of a nasty pile up on her normal route home and her other usual routes were overcrowded due to that accident and a few others. Prowl grumbled, accessing her GPS and finding  _ another  _ route to her apartment complex. Apparently, having four routes wasn’t enough in Polyhex during a major rainstorm. 

~~~

_ When they reached the river, the princess found a rock for the older femme to sit on and catch her breath. The sun was bright out of the gnarled crystal grove. The princess stood by the femme before asking if she needed anything else. _

_ The old femme grinned, showing off sharpened denta. She wheezed, “I can ask for anything?” _

_ “Anything within reason,” the princess replied, feeling a band of ice wrap around her spark. _

_ “There is one thing I’ve always wanted, but was denied many vorn ago by another. I want you to bring me the king’s spark.” _

_ The princess was appalled. She pulled away from the old femme, frame shaking. “I can’t do that!”  _

_ The old femme snarled at her, lunged off the rock, and latched onto the princess’s arm. “Will you deny me too?” _

_ “That’s not reasonable! I won’t kill anyone, ever!” _

_ “Is that so? You think you’re so pure, you won’t ever bloody your servos? We’ll see about that,” the old femme said with a cackle. _

~~~

The road wound around the edges of Polyhex proper. Prowl had never been to this part of the city and drove slower than she normally would’ve. The area was a mess of overpasses and bridges spanning the main waterways Polyhex was known for. The same waterways that were full of wild creatures. 

Prowl didn’t mind bridges, but the sheets of acid rain made visibility low, even with all of her sensors dialed up. She really wanted to get home, have a cube of warmed Energon, and curl up with a novel. 

A loud crash and her HUD filling with red warning lights jerked Prowl out of her thoughts. She slammed her brakes, hoping to avoid the collision in front of her only for her brakes to lock up. Prowl slid over the pavement and slammed into the guard rail, breaking through it and over the side of the bridge. 

Prowl transformed before she hit the black water, panic sinking long talons into her spark. She couldn’t tell which way was up even with her headlights on. She also didn’t know how to swim. Icy water seeped between her seams, weighing her down even more and freezing her to her core. 

More warnings lit up her HUD. Prowl’s optics, headlights, and biolights flickered as the chill shut down a few more of her systems. A dark, sleek shape swam through the furthest part of light as terror and dread spread throughout Prowl’s spark. She wanted to swim away, but nothing was working right, her frame felt sluggish and heavy. Her optics flickered again. She struggled to keep them lit. 

The last thing she saw before they failed was a massive shape swimming toward her with jaws wide open.

~~~

_ The princess watched in horror as sickly green magic snaked its way from the femme’s hand around her arm and over her plating. The princess tried to pull away, but the femme held fast. _

_ “Let go of me, witch!” The princess shouted, realizing now what the femme truly was. _

_ The witch’s talons sunk into the princess’s arm and her magic spread over the other’s frame. The princess cried out in a voice that was no longer her own, frame twisting and transforming in a way it never had before. When the witch released her, the princess stumbled to the river, looking at her reflection with growing horror. _

_ The face of a Fishercat stared back, her cerulean visor the only recognizable feature.  _

_ With an anguished and feral cry the princess took off into the Wilds, the witch’s cackle and parting words chasing after her. “Only another royal can free you, child, but who would ever give you their spark unless you rip it from their frame?” _

~~~

Sound came back first, explosive and disorienting. Prowl tried to focus on something but the noise of distant sirens and shouting mixed with the roar of the rushing river and howling wind made it impossible. A heavy weight rested on her stomach below her bumper and memories of a beast coming at her surged to the forefront of her processor. 

Prowl struggled to bring her optics online and came face to face with one of Polyhex’s Fishercats; the monsters of the river system, the creatures locals were terrified of. Prowl’s engine stuttered and her vents choked on water as she tried venting. The cat cocked its helm, bright blue light streaming from its visor.

It took Prowl a few seconds to realize the weight on her middle was because the Fishercat was sitting on her. She’d always thought they were much bigger, more dense. They certainly weren’t this calm and relaxed either. The cat hunched closer, helm tilting one way and then the other as it regarded Prowl who stared right into its visor. Something stirred and twisted around in her spark.

She should be dead. Not only because a Fishercat had grabbed her, but her fall into the river should’ve been the end. Prowl didn’t know what possessed her to sit up suddenly, nearly throwing the startled cat off her lap. She certainly didn’t know why she leaned forward, into the cat’s space, and placed a kiss on the Fishercat’s nose.

They stared at each other with matching looks of disbelief and confusion for a moment before the Fishercat’s plating split and transformed. Prowl looked into a familiar, confused visor before the femme’s EMF burst into life. A vortex of conflicting emotions rushed over Prowl;  _ elation/shock/confusion  _ were the most prominent emotions Prowl got before the femme regained control of her field.

“Hey there,” she said.

Prowl’s spark trembled and melted at the sound of the femme’s voice. “Hello.”

The femme grinned. “So,” she hedged, tilting her face up to look at Prowl. “This is gonna be weird to explain, but I swear I can. It might just take a few.”

Prowl blinked down at the smaller, black and white femme, servos hovering near the other’s waist. Prowl didn’t know what to do with them. She wasn’t even sure if what she was seeing was real or not. At least the other seemed to know what was going on.

“Then go ahead and explain... this?” Prowl waved one servo toward the femme.

She laughed and Prowl felt her spark melt more for the joy she heard in the other’s voice. “Well, first things first, should introduce ourselves. I’ll start. The name’s Jazz.”

Jazz stared expectantly at Prowl and she realized that was all there was to the femme’s name. “Prowl.”

A smile spread across Jazz’s face. “That’s a good name. I like it. But now to tell ya what just happened and I guess what happened to me a while ago. Not really sure how long ago, time is funny when you’re a cat and you don’t have a chronometer.”

Prowl just blinked and nodded along. She hoped Jazz would get to explaining things soon.

“So, a long time ago I got cursed by this terrible sea hag ‘cause I refused to harm someone dear to me. She turned me into a Fishercat since they’re aggressive and attack mechs whenever they get too close. But it was still me, I just looked like one. I guess I can still transform into a cat and not my old alt mode, but that’s not too important. See, the thing with the curse, it was specific on who could free me. Specifically, only another royal.” 

Jazz paused, giving Prowl a quick once-over before she started talking again. Prowl could only assume the need to get as much out as quickly as possible was due to Jazz being stuck as a Fishercat for Primus knew how long.

“So, how’d you free me, Prowl? You a distant part of a royal line or something?”

Prowl felt the Energon in her lines run cold and her spark twisted. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Or something,” she whispered.

Jazz stared at her and Prowl let out a loud vent. She might as well get it done and over with quickly. “I’m the second daughter to Praxus’ royal line.”

Prowl had the good fortune of seeing the shocked look on Jazz’s face before a loud siren cut through the storm and flashing lights broke the inky blackness around them. They both startled, looking toward the distant roadway that led to the shoreline. Prowl watched as a handful of rescue vehicles sped toward them. She looked back at Jazz, who was staring at the approaching mechs with an over-bright visor.

“Let me do the talking unless they ask you a direct question. Also, I would refrain from saying anything about being a cursed princess and a Fishercat. Polyhex isn’t what you remember it being like back then.”

“Well, obviously, but I’ll follow your lead, Prowler.” Jazz said, patting Prowl’s shoulders.

Prowl was still working on a good enough lie when the mechs reached them, transforming and rushing over. The medic shoved the other mechs out of his way and Prowl felt the prickle of a medical scan washing over her. She didn’t feel ready to lie, but a part of her didn’t want to let go of Jazz yet. Her servos settled on Jazz’s hips when the other mechs stepped forward, ready to start asking questions Prowl either couldn’t or wouldn’t answer. She took a deep vent, letting the chill of the rain ground her. She could do this. There wasn’t anything that could stop her.

~~~

Jazz looked around Prowl’s apartment with awe in her field and frame language. It had been a long night for both of them and Prowl was ready to collapse on something soft and let recharge take over. The only bonus to the whole ordeal was her boss had told her to take the next few days off to relax and recover from her near-drowning. While she loved working, Prowl was not about to let the offer slip, especially since it meant spending more time with Jazz.

“Ya really weren’t kidding ‘bout things being different.” Jazz muttered and walked to the floor to ceiling windows in Prowl’s living room. She looked down and then moved back, wandering around the bright apartment.

“Any idea what you’re going to do?” Prowl asked. She looked longingly at the couch, sitting down at one of the hard kitchen chairs instead so she wouldn’t be tempted to slip into recharge.

“Not really. Got a few ideas, but nothing solid. It kinda all depends on what the government’s like now?” Jazz sat down across from Prowl finally, but she kept looking around the room.

“One of your cousins took charge after the last king died as the ruling regent. His family ruled for a while before the council took control. The people vote on a new leader and new councilors every few vorns.”

“It’s gotta be a bit more complex than that, but I get the picture.” Jazz drummed her fingers against the counter top. She stood up, walked to the Energon dispenser, and started fiddling with the controls. 

Prowl was a terrible host. She always had been, even back in Praxus. She pushed herself to her feet and walked over to Jazz in an attempt to be gracious. “Here, let me show you how it works.”

They drew cubes and Prowl pulled out some additives from one of her cupboards. “How long did ya say you’ve lived here for?” Jazz asked, she was standing by the table, giving Prowl a strange look. It was hard to tell with her visor.

“I haven’t, but it’s been a little over a vorn now. Why?”

Jazz shrugged and took a seat as Prowl placed the small containers of additives on the table. She didn’t have a lot and she only bought the ones she preferred. No one ever came over, after all.

“Would’ve figured you’d have more stuff is all.”

“I packed lightly when I left Praxus and have spent most of my time working since I moved.”

“Fled, ya mean.” Jazz said. It wasn’t a question.

Prowl sipped her Energon, grabbed the sulfur flakes, and added a few. “Yes.”

Jazz went quiet, looking through the small containers and finally selected the sweetest one Prowl had, which wasn’t too sweet. Jazz added a good amount to her Energon before tasting it and adding a bit more.

“I think I know what I want to do, at least for right now.” Jazz said after a short pause. “If you’re okay with it, I wanted to spend more time with you. You saved my life after all.”

“I think you have that backwards,” Prowl muttered into her Energon. 

Jazz’s answering smile was blinding. “Maybe, but I would’ve been stuck like that for the rest of my functioning if you hadn’t kissed my nose. So, thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome. You can stay for as long as you like while you figure everything out. I would like to get to know you better as well.”

Prowl smiled at the smaller femme and set her empty cube down. Jazz’s grin widened. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”

**Author's Note:**

> I may or may not come back to this later too and make it into a series if I come up with more ideas for it.


End file.
